Sweat poured down Oliver Randolph's face as he reached under the launch control panel. On the floor by his side lay Professor Leopold, giving directions on how to abort the launch sequence. The air in the room was hazy with a strong odor of gun powder. Even as he'd blasted away at Vondoff's minions, Agent Randolph had regretted it, but he’d no choice, the world had to be saved.

Among the dead was Vondoff himself. There'd been no regret there. Randolph even shot him a few more times for good measure. The two had faced off many times. Each time, Randolph had thwarted his schemes, but Vondoff had always escaped. But not this time, thought Randolph happily as he followed a wire with his hand.

Professor Leopold pushed her long blonde hair out of her face as she continued giving Randolph directions. "... follow that wire to the end."

"Got it."

She moved closer to get a better view. The feel of her warm breath on Randolph's neck sent chills down his spine. "Now see that wire right next to it?"

"Uh huh."

"You need to switch that wire with the one you're holding. That should send a signal aborting the missile launch."

Randolph wiped his face with a sleeve. "How long?"

He felt Professor Leopold sit up. "One minute. Better hurry."

Disconnecting the wire he was holding, Randolph yanked the other one. It wouldn't budge. "It's stuck."

"Well, pull harder," ordered the Professor.

She's a bossy one, he thought to himself as he slipped his other hand over the wire and pulled with both hands. When the wire came loose, he almost lost it in the tangle of other wires beneath the control panel, but held on.

Quickly plugging the two wires back in as instructed, he was rewarded with the sound of a high-pitched alarm.

"The clock's stopped!" cried Professor Leopold. "You've done it, Oliver!"

Sitting up, Randolph found himself with his face only inches from the Professor's. Staring into her deep blue eyes, he wanted nothing more than to see them close as he kissed her. As his arms reached for her, a sound Randolph thought he'd never hear again filled the room: Vondoff's sinister voice.

"I must congratulate you, Agent Randolph. You have bested me once again."

Randolph stared at Vondoff's body across the room. "But, you're dead."

"Yes, I am," answered the voice. "However, as you know, I always like to have the last word. This computer controlled recording activated when you disabled the launch sequence."

"You're lying," called out Professor Leopold. "If this is a recording, how could you answer Oliver?"

"Quite simple Professor," came the reply. "I've recorded hundreds of possible responses and the computer selects the most appropriate one."

"You're insane," answered Randolph.

Laughter filled the room. "A wise man once said that true genius is seen as madness by those incapable of understanding it. You can gloat now Agent Randolph. You've defeated me," there was a slight pause, "or have you?"

Jumping to his feet, Randolph called out at the empty room. "We stopped the launch. There's nothing you can do now."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and a dull roar could be heard.

"Bet you're wondering what that was?" offered the voice in a mischievous tone. "Couldn't have been my missiles since you aborted the launch sequence."

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Professor Leopold scanned the launch panel. "Everything's dead. There's no way the missiles could have launched."

"Ever hear of a backup system?" asked Vondoff's voice. "Look behind you."

In the back of the room on a small table sat an old Mac computer. The screen was dim, but walking over, Randolph could see a list of decreasing numbers that ended with zero and then the word LAUNCH.

Vondoff's laughter filled the room. "It may have taken my death to beat you Agent Randolph, but it was worth it. We live in a fallen world, and as God once cleansed it with water, I shall cleanse it with fire. Even now the armed forces of the all the world powers have detected my missiles approaching their capitals. Their retaliatory strikes will soon follow and the world will burn."

"Billions will die," choked out Professor Leopold.

"Unfortunate, but necessary." Vondoff replied. "Once you understand my intent, I'm sure you'll have a better opinion of my actions."

Randolph turned to her. "We can still stop this."

"No, you can't," answered Vondoff in a sing-song voice. "Once the missiles launched this facility was sealed and all communication with the outside world severed."

"That's what you think," shot back Randolph, extending an antenna from his wrist watch. "This is Agent Randolph. Priority One!" he spoke into the watch. The only response was static. He repeated his call several more times, but nothing changed.

"That's one thing I've always liked about you Agent Randolph: your tenacity. Unfortunately, in this case even the laws of physics are against you. I'm sure the Professor herself will confirm that ten feet of concrete and steel will stop even the most powerful radio signal."

Professor Leopold sat down on the floor and looked up at Randolph, anguish in her eyes. "We've failed. The world's about to be destroyed and there's nothing we can do about it."

"What about changing the missiles' trajectories?" Randolph asked the Professor.

"All guidance is controlled by the missiles themselves," answered the recording. "Nice try though."

"They've got to have some sort of self-destruct, right?" wondered Professor Leopold, suddenly sounding a little more confident.

"Self-destruct?" answered a perturbed Vondoff. "Please give me more credit than that."

Randolph plopped on the floor beside the Professor and she sighed. After several tense minutes, Vondoff's voice could once again be heard.

"By your silence, it would seem you've accepted your situation. However, if you believe my intent was to destroy the human race, you're wrong. Instead this is the beginning of a new human race, a perfect human race. It will be free of hate, greed, and all the other ills that turned our world from a paradise into a place of torment. I've gathered the best and brightest people from throughout the world to this facility to start anew. Everything needed for survival has been stockpiled here. In two hundred years when the radiation has dissipated, their descendants shall tread upon a new world free of conflict and prejudice. It is to this new world that I welcome the two of you."

Agent Randolph thought back to all that'd happened as he and Professor Leopold fought their way into Vondoff's fortress. It'd seemed such a good idea to blow up that first bus in the convoy as a distraction to get inside. And having Professor Leopold jam the door controls to prevent anyone from following them was the smart tactical decision. How was he to know that he'd carried out the human race's death sentence?

And those inside? Well, between the grenades and gun fire, he doubted there were any security personnel left alive. He did feel bad about that group he'd forced at gun point into one of the missile silos, but it'd seemed a safe place to hold them until the authorities arrived. Of course that was with the assumption he'd successfully stop the missile launch.

As far as he knew, the only people left alive were him and Professor Leopold. As tragic as it was, the thought only made him laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Vondoff's voice.

"Because we all lost," answered Randolph.

There was a sound of clicks and static. "You are wrong Agent Randolph. It is I who has beaten you."

Standing up, Randolph shouted, "Don't you understand? Everyone's dead except me and Professor Leopold. You haven't created a perfect human race, but have consigned it to extinction."

Clicks, whirs, and static filled the room. "The chosen shall live here in peace as they prepare for their future on a world made clean. Their future is secure."

"They're all..." began to shout Randolph, but the touch of Professor Leopold's hand on his shoulder made him stop.

"Oliver," she said softly, "you can't reason with a computer."

He looked at her face. Even in her sadness, those blue eyes seemed to call to him. He embraced her.

"You're right. Do you think there's any way to shut Vondoff's recording off?"

She paused for a moment. "I suspect it only operates in this room so once we leave, it should stop." Looking up at him, she tried to smile as she continued. "Since this seems to be our new home, we should probably take a look around. Maybe we'll find some other people."

Randolph didn't think so, but stepped back and held out his hand. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, Oliver and Tanya walked out of the room shutting the door behind them.

In the now empty control room, Vondroff's voiced boomed out once again. "Tell me how it feels Agent Randolph," the voice gleefully cried. "to know I've finally beaten you." After a short pause, the voice continued, anger evident in its tone. "Answer me Randolph! Admit you've lost! Admit you've lost! Admit..."